C. 1864-1895 Collection of Handwritten & Printed Ephemera Relating to the Career of Doctor John Francis Gignoux of New York & New Jersey and his Family.
New York: Not Published, 1864. F. About 35 pieces of ephemeral material relating to the education, medical career, family life of this physician; including: a Matriculation Ticket for the University of the State of New York College of Physicians and Surgeons, for 185(5) Gordon Buck, M.D. Registrar-the back of card with penciled details regarding the conference of the degree of Doc. of Medicine for J.F. Gignoux, dating it for 1865; slightly puzzling, since the next two items, one, a letter on New York State Soldiers Depot letterhead with patriotic vignette dated 1864 and addressed to Maj. G.E. Baldwin, U.S. Army the sender is regarding recommending Dr. Gignoux for a placement "...as a suitable member of the Medical Commission to look after the interests of the Soldiers of the State of New York..." - this was at the behest of Dr. Cummings and is signed by E. Lee Jones Surgeon N.Y.S.S. Depot, accompanied by the 2-page note sent to Dr. Gignoux which talks of this situation, and its renumeration "...it is a military Depot (and) will occupy only a little while each day and compensation $ 5. a day...", this sent by M.E. Macdowall - by which we infer that Gignoux is already a physician by the 'matriculation' card's dating - it is not clear whether he took the position at the Army's Depot; with a 12-page (legal size) handwritten paper, apparently by the doctor, regarding the history and current research on gastric problems, including diagnosis and treatment, symptoms, description of ailments with references to the history of various research, gastritis toxica, more - with some corrections to the verbiage, probably an independently-researched paper written for his examinations at medical school - his prefatory remarks state "...Without having the pretention of offering something new…the present treatise presents a careful selection from the best modern minds on the subject...which remark will I trust entitle me to the kind consideration of a critical reader..." - a well-written paper, without a conclusion or final leaf; Dr. David Magie (of Princeton, N.J.) requests on the back of his business card that Gignoux take his shift for him at the "1st Surg. Div...."; in the 1870s, a printed receipt from the United States Express Co. and a 1877 printed invitation "...to institute a new chapter of the Alpha Delta Phi ...resident in New York and vicinity..." the annual dinner was to be held at Delmonico's and is signed in print by John Jay, Joseph H. Choate, David W. Judd, Theo. W. Dwight, Russell Sturgis, Jr. and other members of the fraternity; 1880s: A program or flyer for a humorous school theatrical of The Comstock School 32 West 40th St. (N.Y.) in 1888 with a cover design of a 4 of hearts playing card, the hearts hand-colored and entitled "Vier Herzen und Ein Schlag" having funny illustrative 'advertisements' - for hair growth, whiskey, 'Bear's' Soap & more, listing the 4 players; at this time of his career Dr. Gignoux seems to have shifted focus from being a practicing physician (or added the practice of) an apothecary - there are receipts from David Hays & Sons requesting "Mary Stuart Extract" and from Chocolat-Menier, A.J. Ditman Pharmacist (2 from this establishment one of which has an advert. on back for Ditman's Truss Annex & publicizes their products), F. Ehrmann's Pharmacies, William T. Lins German Pharmacy (complaining about not receiving an order), Francis J. Zitz, Pharmacist, Franklin B. Crouch Drugs and Medicines (2 requests), W.H. Whitney Pharmacist - all with their imprinted cards or forms and requesting various pharmaceutical substances; also here is a 4-page (legal size) group of material, probably from a press-copy, printed black and in a very precise script of "Amounts due the Heirs of Estate of Claude Gignoux, deceased, in division of September 11, 1885" with summary, accounts to heirs and a schedule of payments sheet - several Gignoux family members are named and also their co-family members Adele and Elise Matthiessen (relations of the 20th century explorer and writer Peter Matthiessen) - the family of Claude G. evidently of some prominence, with a cash value of the estate at $ 672, 486.84, a purchase power of well over 15 million dollars in 'today's money' (Measuring Worth site calculator) - these account lists reveal various disbursements and tabulations concerning the Gignoux estate; with a letter from Adele Matthiessen, a very closely-written 4 pages from Saint Foy (France) Oct. 23 1864 that contains some news of the heretic priest's Pere Hyacinth's power of oratory at the beginning of his popularity, along with her hopes of seeing a glimpse of the Empress of Russia as she passes through the town - another note refers to Adele, this time staying at a friend's place in Capitol Hill, Washington D.C. with mailing envelope and red-bordered notepaper; there are also 4 very mysterious letters - 3 on Cosmopolitan Hotel New York-vignetted letterhead paper, which appear to detail a tailing job or several, for a private detective - one especially intriguing note appears to disguise the effort via 'cover' names - "Our friends are playing a great game now she leaves the house about 1.30 p.m. and takes a stage to go down town and gets off at 31st street and goes in a cab that is waiting for her and inside of it sits Lord North in grand style followed them all over town east & west north & south up as far as 57 st. and down to Macy's 13 street side she goes in and the cab drove him to 14th street & 5th avenue where he gets out and goes up 14 street and I left them about 3 o'clock to go and meet you at the office and the Judge told me you had gone to Philadelphia to Marie Blanchard's funeral what do you think of this great game..." (Marie Blanchard was a noted 18-year-old beauty who had apparently committed suicide, perhaps due to a romantic entanglement) the letter with a bit more and the other letters of this grouping referring to arrangements for other detective jobs and other matters, intriguing; in the 1890s, a tuition billing and list of expense items for Miss Elizabeth Gignoux, 4 pages, for the Comstock School at 2 West Fortieth St. in NY and a receipt on Hargrave Portraits of New York letterhead for various poses of Adele and Lizzie (Gignoux); with a few undated pieces, family related - a 'Ticket of Honorary Membership' for F. Gignoux signed by the president and secretary of the "Purcellianum Lyceum ad Eloquentiam atque Scientiam excolendam, in Collegio Sanctae Mariae ad Montes instititutum..." (presumably St. Mary's College of Maryland, which had a Purcell Lyceum society); and a similar membership 'ticket' for the "Philomathiana Societas" of the same school; and with a bit of poetry printed on the notepaper of the Society of the Alumni of Charity Hospital (likely of Roosevelt Island, formerly Welfare and earlier, Blackwell's in New York): "We were young It was Summer. We sat on the sand/And Dan Pleasure stood by as I kissed her white hand/But away he soon skipped with the speed of a faun/and I still kissed her hand - but, Dan Pleasure had gone!/And, as everyone knows, life is dull without Dan/so pursuing the rascal together we ran/..." and several more lines in a similar vein; various sizes to notes and papers, old fold lines; some wear and aging, in very good condition overall and an interesting group of ephemeral manuscript and printed material, tied together by the one family's travels and experiences, with the doctor's professional career. Item #21360
Price: $350.00